Jerry Lewis: “let me say that it is truly a privilege for me to serve on the subcommittee of appropriations that deals with our…”

“let me say that it is truly a privilege for me to serve on the subcommittee of appropriations that deals with our national defense. There is little question that the gentleman from Washington is one of the House's experts in this entire field. He and I have had a chance to look at various elements of our defense system. That is what we are talking about, we are talking about peace in the world, creating a foundation for our own national defense and the defense of freedom that really stops the prospect of major confrontation in the world. There is no question that America is on the edge of having the kind of force that will allow us to preserve the world from major conflict. One of the elements of that force that could bring us to peace in our time is the B-2. It is an incredible vehicle. We all know the role that stealth will play in our air future. The B-2 has a tremendous potential for America's future in terms of peace. Nobody ever said that peace was inexpensive. But if there is a responsibility for the national government, if there is a reason for us to have a national Congress, the reason is to make sure that we have adequate national security. Fundamental to that is to have this aircraft available in numbers that will allow us to make that difference in the world. And without the gentleman's leadership, I think this issue might well have been dead by now. That is, we would have gone in a different direction.”